Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.

Lottie hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.

For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.

"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."

Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".

Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.

It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.

Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.

'Anxiety Inducing'

The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.

"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."

So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.

Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.

Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.

She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".

"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.

"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.

"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."

Several Strategies to Handle It

If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.

1. Imagine Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
2. Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
3. Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.